Automatic fire-alarm.



W-Wweooea M. LEHTONEN. AUTOMATIC FIRE ALARM. 7 APPLICATION FILED NIB. 8, 1912. 1,035,365. Patented Aug. 13, 1912.

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Patented Aug. 13, 1912.

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MATTI LEHTONEN, OF DULUTH, MINNESOTA.

AUTOMATIC FIRE-ALARM.

Application filed February 8, 1912.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 13, 1912.

Serial No. 676,323.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, MA'r'rI LEHTONEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Duluth, in the county of St. Louis and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Fire- Alarms; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in automatic fire alarms.

One object of the invention is to provide a fire alarm of this character having means whereby an alarm may be sounded at or near the location of the fire and also at a distant location.

Another object is to provide an automatic lire alarm which will be simple, strong, durable and inexpensive in construction, ellicient and reliable in operation and well adapted to the purpose for which it is designed.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, and the combination and arrangement of parts as will be more fully described and claimed. 4

In the accompanying drawings; Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improved fire alarm showing the parts in set position or ready for use; Fig. 2 is a similar view with the body of the bell removed, showing the position of the parts when released and in operation. Fig. 3 is an enlarged side view with the bell in section and the parts in the position shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is an enlarged vertical sectional View on the line 44 of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional view on the line 55 of Fig. 1; Fig. 6 is a plan view of the supporting plate with the entire bell removed and showing the construction and arrangement of the spring holding and tripping mechanism of the bell and the switch closing device forming part of the same.

My improved fire alarm comprises a supportlng plate 1 which may be of any suitable size and shape and which is adapted to be secured to a wall or any other support. In the present instance the plate 1 is shown as of triangular form and has secured thereto near its center an alarm bell 2. The bell 2 is provided with any suitable form of spring actuated clapper operating mechanism, said mechanism being here shown as comprising a suitably supported casing 3 having arranged therein a spiral spring 4 one end of which is secured to a winding shaft 5 having its inner end journaled in the plate 1 and its outer end revolubly mounted in the supporting bracket 6 of the spring casing. The opposite end of the spring 4- is secured to the casing 3 whereby when the shaft 5 is turned in one direction the spring will be wound up on said shaft.

The hell 2 is loosely mounted on the outer portion of the shaft 5 and on the outer end of the shaft is arranged a milled head or knob 7 by means of which the shaft may be turned to wind up the spring. Fixed on the shaft 5 adjacent to the inner side of the easing 3 is a ratchet gear 8 the teeth of which are adapted to engage an escapement pawl 9 having on its free end a clapper 10 which is adapted to vibrate against the side of the bell when the pawl is tripped by the ratchet gear.

When the spring is wound the same is held from being unwound and thereby actuating the ratchet wheel and bell sounding clapper by means of a locking mechanism comprising a detent 11 in the form of a plate having on one edge an outwardly projecting stop lug 12 which is adapted to be engaged by a stop lug 13 on the ratchet gear 8 thereby holding the latter against revolving. The detent is also provided with a depending stem or shank 1 1 which is slidably engaged with a guide clip 15 secured to the plate 1. The upper end of the detent is pivotally connected to the shorter arm of a bell crank lever 16 which is pivoted to the plate 1 and has its longer arm pivotally engaged with a sleeve 17 slidably mounted on a combined trip and switch operating lever 18 pivoted between the plate 1 and a bracket 19 secured thereto.

The lever 18 has engaged therewith a spring 20 by which the same is actuated in one direction for tripping the spring holding mechanism whereby the clapper operating spring of the bell is released. On the upper end of the lever 18 is secured a switch closing arm 21 formed of suitable insulating material. The arm 21 is preferably curved outwardly at one end to cause the same to readily engage and close the spring members or terminal of the switch 22 of an electric circuit 23 which may extend to any distant location and have arranged therein a bell,

light or any other form of alarm or signal (not shown) but which will-be sounded or lighted when the switch 22 is closed by the arm 21 on the switch lever when the latter is actuated by its spring 20 to trip the spring releasing mechanism as hereinbefore described.

The lever 18 is held in an-inoperative position against the pressure of the spring 20 by a cord, ribbon or other inflammable element 24: which is suitably connected to the lever near its lower end and is passed around a guide roller or pulley 25 secured by a suit able supporting bracket 26 to the plate 1. From the roller 25 the cord or ribbon extends back across the lower portion of the plate and through a guide loop 27 secured to the opposite lower corner of the plate and from said guide loop the cord or ribbon may be passed around the walls of the room or across the ceilings or in any other position or location desired. The cord or ribbon may if desired be obscured from view in any suitable manner, for instance when arranged around and adjacent to papered walls the same might be covered by a paper tube or other casing of inflammable material corresponding to the wall paper or forming part of the decorating scheme of the room. lVhen the cord is thus arranged the end of the same will be fastened in any suitable manner to hold the lever 18 back to an inoperative position against the pressure of the spring so that should a fire occur at any point along the line of the cord or ribbon, and the latter be burned in two the lever will be released and through the action of the spring 20 will trip the spring holding mechj other point.

anisi-n thus releasing the spring of the bell and causing the ratchet wheel to operate the clapper and sound the alarm at the location of the fire. This movement of the lever will also cause the arm 21 to close the switch 22 thereby completing the electric circuit 23 and sounding the alarm or operating signal located at a distant point in the circuit.

By this arrangement it will be seen that the alarm is not only sounded at the location of the fire but an alarm may alsobe sounded or shown at the home of the proprietor of the building in which the fire has occurred or at a fire engine house or any The device may also be employed to advantage in the rooms or apartments of a hotel or in the various departments of a store and an annunciator of the usual or any desired form arranged in the circuit 22 and located in the otli'ce of the hotel or store or any other suitable point whereupon the exact room, department or location of the fire will be indicated.

While I have herein shown and described the device as being equipped with a bell to be sounded at the location of the fire and also having in connection therewith an electric circuit and switch closing mechanism whereby an alarm may be sounded at a distant location, it is obvious that either the bell on the device or the switch circuit may be dispensed with and one or the other of these devices alone employed.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the construction and operation of the invention will be readily understood without requiring a more extended explanation.

Various changes in the form, proportion and the minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the principle or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention as shown.

Having thus described my invention, what i I claim is:

A fire alarm comprising a supporting plate, a bell arranged thereon, a suitably supported clapper adapted to be engaged with said bell, a spring actuated clapper 0-perating mechanism, a detent slidably mounted on said plate and adapted to be engaged with said clapper operating mechanism whereby the latter is held against operation,

a trip lever pivotally mounted on said plate,

a plvotally mounted bell crank lever having one end connected with said detent, a sleeve slidably mounted on said lever and having a pivotal connection with the other arm of said bell crank lever whereby the latter is actuated by said trip lever to disengage the detent from said clapper operating mechanism, an inflammable lever holding element connected with said trip lever and adapted to' hold the same in an inoperative position, a spring engaged with said lever and adapted to actuate the same when released by said holding element whereby the clapper operating mechanism of the bell is released and permitted to actuate the clapper for sounding the bell.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

MATTI LEHTONEN.

Witnesses VIo'roR H. GEAN, JOHN W. J UNTILLA.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

